I first learned about it when I took a workshop last summer. There were two of the instructors were published writers and friends who post at the How To Write blog. They both touted the Writer's Cafe in their workshops, not because they had an stake in selling it because they are like you and me - looking for good writing software and having a devil of a time trying to find it.
Interestingly, one of them is a plotter (who has to have the whole plot down in an outline before they start to write) and the other one is a pantser (who like to put butt to chair and just start writing without a preconceived plot). Still, they both loved this program.
I went back for another workshop this year and these same two writers are still in love with this program. So, if you're planning on spending any money on software, this might be the place to do it.
Here's one of their blog posts talking about how Writer's Cafe works for them (#4 on the list of must haves). Maybe their description will help you.
http://howtowriteshop.loridevoti.com/2012/02/tools-writers-plotting-taxes-productive/
Also, here's an interview with one of the software writers for Writer's Cafe that you might find helpful.
http://howtowriteshop.loridevoti.com/2012/02/interview-harriet-smart-writers-cafe/
Ywriter didn't work for me. I've downloaded several versions, but (besides the fact that it doesn't work on my Linux boxes) I found it to be overly bogged down with charts I didn't need and no flexibility for me to create the ones I needed. I was already in the middle of a novel when I first tried it and there was no easy way to import what I had already written. When I began my second novel, I tried it again, but found it more cumbersome than this pantser has patience for.
For me, it turned out to be a good starter program that helped me understand what I wanted, or didn't want, in a writing software program.
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